Allied Warships

Tirante (SS-420)

Submarine of the Tench class


USS Tirante as modified postwar.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassTench 
Pennant420 
Built byPortsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered22 Feb 1943 
Laid down28 Apr 1944 
Launched9 Aug 1944 
Commissioned6 Nov 1944 
End service1 Oct 1973 
History

Decommissioned 6 July 1946.
Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned 26 November 1952.
Decommissioned and stricken 1 October 1973.
Sold 11 April 1974 to be broken up for scrap.

 

Commands listed for USS Tirante (420)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Lt.Cdr. George Levick Street, 3rd, USN6 Nov 1944Jul 1947

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Notable events involving Tirante include:


17 Dec 1944
USS Lionfish (T/Lt.Cdr. E.D. Spruance, USN) and and USS Tirante (T/Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, 3rd, USN) departed the Portsmouth Navy Yard for Newport, Rhode Island where they arrived later the same day. At Newport they were to conduct torpedo discharge trials.

21 Dec 1944
With their torpedo trials completed, and USS Lionfish (T/Lt.Cdr. E.D. Spruance, USN) and and USS Tirante (T/Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, 3rd, USN), arrived at New London, Connecticut from Newport, Rhode Island which they had departed earlier the same day.

8 Jan 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III, USN) departed New London, Connecticut for the Panama Canal Zone.

16 Jan 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III, USN) arrived in the Panama Canal Zone.

25 Jan 1945
USS Hackleback (T/Lt.Cdr. F.E. Janney, USN) and USS Tirante (T/Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, 3rd, USN) departed the Panama Canal Zone for Pearl Harbour.

10 Feb 1945
USS Hackleback (T/Lt.Cdr. F.E. Janney, USN) and USS Tirante (T/Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, 3rd, USN) arrived at Pearl Harbour from Balboa, Panama Canal Zone. They were then taken in hand for voyage repairs and some minor alterations.

3 Mar 1945
With her trials and training completed USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol east of Kyusyu. Later she was ordered to patrol of the Korean coast.

25 Mar 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) torpedoed and sank the Japanese auxiliary net layer Fuji Maru (703 GRT) off Tori Jima, Japan in position 31°08'N, 130°30'E.

28 Mar 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) torpedoed and sank the Japanese fishing vessel Nase Maru (1218 GRT) west of Oniki Cape, south-west Kyushu, Japan in position 32°15'N, 29°55'E.

30 Mar 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank the Japanese guard boat Eikichi Maru (19 BRT) with gunfire off Kagoshima, Japan in position 31°11'N, 130°09'E.

7 Apr 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Tama Maru (396 BRT) with gunfire about 10 nautical miles east of Shokokusanto, south-west of Korea in position 34°35'N, 125°20'E.

9 Apr 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) torpedoed and sank the Japanese army tanker Nikko Maru (5057 GRT) and torpedoed and damaged the Japanese corvette Kaibokan 102 (740 tons, built 1945) (offsite link) in the Yellow Sea in position 36°50'N, 123°55'E.

14 Apr 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport Jusan Maru (3943 GRT), the Japanese frigate Nomi (940 tons, offsite link) and the Japanese corvette Kaibokan 31 (745 tons, offsite link) west of Quelpart Island in position 33°25'N, 126°15'E.

Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III was awarded the Medal of Honour for this attack.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the USS Tirante during the first war patrol of that vessel against enemy Japanese surface forces in the harbour of Quelpart Island, off the coast of Korea, on 14 April 1945. With the crew at surface battle stations, Lt.Cdr. Street approached the hostile anchorage from the south within 1,200 yards of the coast to complete a reconnoitring circuit of the island. Leaving the 10-fathom curve far behind he penetrated the mined and shoal-obstructed waters of the restricted harbour despite numerous patrolling vessels and in defiance of 5 shore-based radar stations and menacing aircraft. Prepared to fight it out on the surface if attacked, Lt.Cdr. Street went into action, sending 2 torpedoes with deadly accuracy into a large Japanese ammunition ship and exploding the target in a mountainous and blinding glare of white flames. With the Tirante instantly spotted by the enemy as she stood out plainly in the flare of light, he ordered the torpedo data computer set up while retiring and fired his last 2 torpedoes to disintegrate in quick succession the leading frigate and a similar flanking vessel. Clearing the gutted harbour at emergency full speed ahead, he slipped undetected along the shoreline, diving deep as a pursuing patrol dropped a pattern of depth charges at the point of submergence. His illustrious record of combat achievement during the first war patrol of the Tirante characterizes Lt.Cdr. Street as a daring and skilled leader and reflects the highest credit upon himself, his valiant command, and the U.S. Naval Service.

26 Apr 1945
USS Tirante (Lt.Cdr. G.L. Street, III) ended her 1st war patrol at Midway.

20 May 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) departed from Midway for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the East China and Yellow Seas.

11 Jun 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) torpedoed and sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakuju Maru (2220 GRT) off Ha Jima, southern Kyushu, Japan in position 42°37'N, 129°45'E.

22 Jun 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Yellow Sea in position 37°54'N, 125°34'E.

23 Jun 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Yellow Sea in position 37°54'N, 125°34'E.

24 Jun 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank five Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire in the Yellow Sea in position 38°36'N, 124°40'E.

25 Jun 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Yellow Sea in position 37°53'N, 123°34'E.

26 Jun 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) sank two small Japanese vessels with gunfire in the Yellow Sea in position 38°32'N, 124°10'E.

19 Jul 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) ended her 2nd war patrol at Guam.

12 Aug 1945
USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) departed from Guam for her 3rd war patrol.

23 Aug 1945
Due to the end of hostilities USS Tirante (Cdr. G.L. Street, III) ended her 3rd war patrol at Midway.

Media links


U. S. Submarines in World War II

Kimmett, Larry and Regis, Margaret


U.S. Submarines Through 1945

Friedman, Norman


amazon.co.uk
(£ 56.95)

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